The Minnesota Vikings looked shell-shocked as they headed to the locker room at halftime of their game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They had marched up and down the field on the Bucs’ defense and looked every bit the dominant offensive machine that their fans had hoped for. There was only one thing amiss in this picture-perfect scenario. A quick look at the scoreboard would explain their shock.

First Half Foibles

Vikings

Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (8) – Jeffrey Becker/USA Today Sports

 

Instead of sporting a two or three-touchdown lead, the Vikings found themselves locked into a 10-10 tie with Tampa Bay at the halfway point of the game. The roadblock in this beautiful journey was the Vikings’ turnovers that ended two promising drives. One of these was due to a collision between quarterback Kirk Cousins and right guard Ed Ingram.  This was a repeat of a problem that had manifested itself many times in 2022.

The second drive-killing turnover came off an errant Cousins pass near the goal line. He threw a quick pass behind wide receiver KJ Osborn and the ball was intercepted by Tampa Bay safety Christian Izien and returned to the Bucs 16-yard line. And the heartbreaker was the lost fumble by Cousins deep in Vikings territory as a result of a thundering blitz by Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Jefferson and Addison Shine

All of this despite Cousins throwing for 273 first-half yards and a touchdown pass to rookie Jordan Addison.  And all but forgotten was the scintillating first-half performance by Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. He had seven receptions for 138 yards in a stunning two-quarter performance. Still there was a sense that despite the turnovers, their best football that afternoon was still in front of them.

Even when the teams exchanged touchdowns after long drives, there was still a sense that the Vikings would come out on top. The Vikings score came on a short pass to Alexander Mattison, who with gritty effort, made it into the end zone.

Neither team could generate any offense as they exchanged punts, but then the Bucs put together a drive that would help them clinch the game. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield, through short passes and quarterback scrambles, led the Bucs on a ten-play drive that consumed 4:46 off the clock in the fourth quarter. The drive stalled at the Minnesota 40, but their kicker, Chase McLaughlin, proceeded to connect on a 57-yard field goal to put the Bucs up by three.

Vikings Fail to Stop the Bucs

Vikings

Minnesota Vikings RB Alexander Mattison (2) – Brad Rempel/USA Today Sports

A little over five minutes remained in the game, so Vikings fans were still hopeful for a victory. But the Vikings, on three pass attempts deep in their end of the field, could only yield three yards, so they were forced to punt the ball away to the Bucs. Tampa Bay took possession of the ball at their thirty-yard line with 3.52 left on the clock. The Vikings would need a defensive stop to have any chance of tying or winning this game.

On a critical second and four play at the Minnesota 44-yard line, Mayfield scrambled right for a possible first down. Impressive free agent linebacker Ivan Pace appeared to have the Bucs quarterback in his sights as he approached to cut him off from the first down marker. But inexplicitly, Pace appeared to ease up on his pursuit, allowing Mayfield to secure the first down.

The Vikings were now out of timeouts and out of hope. Tampa Bay ran the clock off to preserve their 20-17 win. Woulda, should, coulda.

The Vikings Next Opponent, the Eagles

The Vikings are now tasked with trying to defeat the NFC Champion Eagles on their home turf. The problem is compounded by the fact that Minnesota has only a short week to prepare for Philadelphia because the game is scheduled for this Thursday night.

The Eagles defeated New England in Week 1 when they pulled to an early lead and managed to hang on for a 25-20 win in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Quarterback Jalen Hurst had an overall good game but did cough up the football in the fourth quarter that, thankfully for them, was not capitalized on by the Patriots.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones stung the Eagles defense for 316 yards and three touchdowns, so Cousins will be studying the film closely to find the keys on how to match that performance. Kenneth Gainwell led Philadelphia in rushing on Sunday, but he is currently not practicing due to sore ribs. Philadelphia’s defense did look vulnerable, but it produced two turnovers and stopped the Patriots’ offense when it counted in the fourth quarter.

After the Philadelphia game, the Vikings have ten days to prepare for their matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on September 24 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Looking ahead at their schedule, they play both the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in October at home. And they end the month with a trip to Lambeau Field to play the always-tough Green Bay Packers. The Vikings have to quickly right the ship if they hope to stay in playoff contention.